Dead Reckoning
by Swaggie McSwagster
Summary: When a new girl comes to Ouran with a dark and secret past, Nekozawa is driven to figure it out. But what if there's a reason it's hidden from him? NekoXOC
1. intro

*3rd person*

The new girl glanced around the empty hall of her new school.

She was pretty, with pale skin, cat-like green eyes, curly red-gold hair, and a tall willowy figure. Her outfit, if anyone was to see it, consisted of an unbuttoned white blouse, black tank top, dark wash skinny jeans, and a matching chain necklace and belt.

Looking down at her map, she confirmed one undeniable fact: she was lost. To make matters worse, it was an hour before students usually came.

_How do they call this a school? It's more like a castle!_

Sighing, she looked at her surroundings and guessed she was in the basement of the huge academy.

Suddenly feeling a dark chill from behind her she decided to turn around, tripping in the process.

Expecting to feel the ground beneath her, she squeezed her eyes shut. This only made her more surprised when someone caught her by the waist.

"Ufufufu! What could a young girl like you be doing outside my black magic clubroom? Are you_ lost_?"

She felt her blood run cold.

Sorry it's so short! Don't worry; the other chapters will be longer! Please, R&R!


	2. Chapter 1

_Thoughts_

"_Twins in unison"_

*Sayomi's POV*

I honestly thought life would be simpler in Japan, and assumed I would have fewer problems. Luckily, I was still cautious enough to come to school an hour earlier. Who'd have thought I would need that extra time?

I'm lost somewhere in the basement now, and have no idea how I got there. I swear, my new school is mostly a maze of unused hallways and abandoned classrooms.

And don't even mention the people! There were very few seeing as students usually come an hour later, but so far, the couple of people I've actually seen stared at me because I'm 'different' and wearing 'commoners apparel.' It's not as if I'm a parasite here to ruin them!

I honestly only came here to make friends with people who didn't know the rumors, and to avoid _him_. And now here I am, lost in the offing basement of a rich kid school.

I twirl a piece of my red hair, looking down at my practically useless map, and have all of my hopes of getting to class on time dashed. All hopes of getting out at all, for that matter.

'Sigh'_ I'll be stuck here forever and my ghost will help haunt these halls for eternity._

Suddenly, I felt a chill, and start wondering if there was a window down here.

I then felt a presence from behind, and understood the irony of it all. Guess joking about this hall being haunted brought about a haunt_er_.

I turn around quickly to see the unfortunate soul who was trapped down here, but being my clumsy self I trip halfway through. As I squeeze my eyes shut and prepare myself for the familiar pain of my skull on concrete (or in this case marble) I got surprised when it never came.

Opening my eyes, the realization comes that someone caught me by the waist. I scrambled away, blinking up at the cloaked figure that saved me.

"Ufufufu! What could a young girl like you be doing outside my black magic clubroom? Are you _lost_?"

I froze as he waved his hand in front of my dazed face.

Slowly I got up and started answering his question. "Y-yes, I'm lost. You're alive? Sorry, it's just…! I mean, your presence was so dark… you're not a ghost?"

Mr. Cloak (or so I've dubbed him) blinked his bright blue eyes, startled. "I'm no ghost; I'm Umehito Nekozawa, class 2-A, and president of the Black Magic Club. Would you like to join?" he asked the last part eagerly, as if I might say yes.

_B-black magic? Crap! Act normal! He wont suspect a thing if you act normal!_ I shook my head, thinking. _So Mr. Cloak is a student here. Maybe he knows his way around! Well, I don't think asking should arouse any suspicions._

"Nekozawa-senpai, wasn't it? Could you please help me out? I'm hopelessly lost." I asked while giving my signature 'sweet little kitty' look (think puss in boots.)

His evil grin told me I said the wrong thing. "But of course I'll show you to your room. _If_ you join the Black Magic Club."

Slowly retreating, I grew paler than I already was. "I think I'll be going now, bye. It's been a pleasure meeting you, but please don't talk to me again! I _really_ don't think your club is for me! Now, if you'll excuse me-"

Before I could run away, he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me so he was right in my face. "Why ever not? We have something for everyone! You even get a belzenef curse doll for joining! We do divinations, potions, tar-"

I was frantic!_ I have to get out of here!_ "STOP! I'm sorry, but I've had bad experiences with black magic in the past! I just want to find my classroom. Please, help me." I was almost crying. Finally, Nekozawa realized how scared I was.

Although I didn't lie to him, I didn't completely spill my guts either. Trust me, there are some things better left secret and if anyone could figure it out, that person was him. I would do anything not to have a repeat of my old life.

"Um, what is your class? I should probably take you to it now. It would be the proper thing for me to do, right?" he sheepishly looked at me.

"I'm in class 1-A, and yes, it _would_ be the proper thing for you to do. Thanks." I replied tartly.

Nekozawa looked down, ashamed, and guiltily led me to me classroom. We were the first ones there.

Before leaving, he turned around and looked at me sadly. "If you're not going to join my club, could you at least tell me your name?" I sighed.

_He __**did**__ lead me to my room, and I __**do**__ know __**his**__ name…_ "Maria Johnson. My name's Maria. Although everybody calls me Sayomi, my middle name, instead"

He nodded, pleased. "Well, Sayomi-san, it was a pleasure to meet you." After looking at me with a guarded expression, he finally left.

Suddenly, I exhaled a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. _I have to watch out for that one. Otherwise, he might just find out. _ Before I knew it, the other students started walking in, and I had other things to worry about.

**So, I hope you like it so far! Next chapters gonna' be from Neko's POV.**

**Thanks to Tono Radish for reviewing! Neko needs some love, he's way too undervalued! **


	3. Chapter 2

**So, it has come to my attention that there is some uncertainty where Nekozawa's class is involved. Since it is never specified (trust me, I checked both online **_**and**_** watched all the episodes with him in it) what his class was, and yet it was still said he was 17, I put him in 2-A, in accordance to his age. I'm terribly sorry if it caused any confusion. Oh btw, Beelzenef can talk in peoples heads and read minds, so when people are talking to him privately, I'll use italics/thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: as much as I may wish it so, I do not own Ouran… if only I did…**

_Thoughts_

"_Twins in unison"_

_**Beelzenef speaking**_

*Neko's POV*

As I lead the frightened girl to her classroom, I took the time to contemplate what she said earlier.

_You're alive? What an odd thing to say. It's as if she expected me to be dead. I thought most people didn't believe in magic._

_And what about the 'presence' thing? I would assume she sees auras, seeing as mine is black, but not even Fumio-kun can 'sense' mine. Most importantly, how did she know I was there? My magic _should_ make me invisible!_

I worked out my thoughts as we walked, trying to figure this girl out, and before I knew it, we were outside 1-A

Suddenly, I had an idea: if I learned her name, preferably full, I could use some magic to learn of how she knew I was there, and why she was so against joining club. Well, it was worth a try. She didn't want to join anyway, so what was there to lose?

I smile, thinking this was a perfect opportunity to perfect my acting skills. Straightening, I remind myself to try and be convincing, and put on my most sad and disappointed face I could muster.

I turn around and look at her face, avoiding her eyes. I _do_ have a conscious, you know!

"If you're not going to join my club, could you at least tell me your name?" _Trust me, trust me! Fall for it!_ Her nervous eyes softened slightly, probably remembering I lead her to her room, eventually. Or perhaps thinking I'm a sad loner who lost an opportunity at a friend. Then again, I _am_ a loner who lost an opportunity at a friend.

You know, I think I'm starting to feel bad about playing a girl's emotions like this, but I don't know if she can be trusted. It's obvious she's hiding something behind the cat-like eyes and innocent expression; I just don't know what yet. Well, better safe than sorry in my opinion.

"Maria Johnson."- I jumped, startled out of my current train of thoughts-"My name's Maria. Although everybody calls me Sayomi, my middle name, instead."

_Jackpot. _She must be really naïve to tell me her full name, or not know the power a name can give, perhaps. Too bad for her.

"Well, Sayomi-san, it was a pleasure to meet you." I looked at her for a second before walking away, and once I exited the room, I heard her exhale softly. Smiling wryly to myself, I confirm that she's hiding something. Why else would she be relieved when I left?

I may have trusted her when I first saw her, but she obviously has a secret. Whether it's a big or small one is yet to be discovered, though.

Beelzenef surprised me by deciding to speak up._** Are you sure about this? I like her, she seems nice.**_ I scowled, annoyed with my usually faithful puppet. _ Trust me; I know what I'm doing!_

I was also surprised to find Kyoya and Tamaki the, only people there, and talking about Sayomi when I got to my class. "I hear she's quite the exotic beauty, Kyoya! And a commoner, to boot! If she befriends our beloved Haruhi, maybe our little girl will develop some femininity! Splendid idea, right? _I _think we should-"

I smiled and slid up behind my 'rival'. "Hello, Suoh-kun. Lovely weather we're having isn't it? I prayed last night that you would join me in…" cue my epic voice deepening, "…the _darkness_!"

He scuttled away, in obvious fear. Truly, I never bore of scaring my favorite classmate. Sadly for me, Kyoya was out to ruin my fun.

"Nekozawa, I heard you met the new girl earlier, correct? I wonder why." Damn his meddling! I decided to play up my creepiness, just to annoy them.

"Ufufufu! Yes, I did! She was in the basement, so I thought to recruit her to the club. Sadly, she declined. I wonder why?" Tamaki, being Tamaki, ran up and started crying about not cursing his 'friends', giving me a perfect opportunity to scare him some more.

Smiling maliciously, I crept up behind him. "Suoh-kun, would you mind terribly if I borrowed some blood? I'm going to practice a soul-stealing ritual later, but don't have anyone to practice on. It would be greatly appreciated!"

And guess what, the fool actually believed me! As if I could steal a soul with only his blood! I was so amused by his antics that for a second I completely forgot about the new girl. Sayomi.

It's so strange, I've never been so curious before… but then again, I've never met a girl like _her_ either. Who is she, what is she hiding? Well, all shall be revealed eventually.

Class bored me that day, so instead of listening, I spied on Sayomi with my magic. Of course, it still _looked_ like I was working. Tuning in on class 1-A, I was surprised to see they weren't working. Apparently, the teacher gave Sayomi the day to get to know everyone, as well as familiarize herself with their certain dialects.

Through this process of spying, I also got to hear a bit of her story. "So, Sayomi-san, you're a foreign exchange student? Do you live by yourself?" Kurakano asked, shocked. "Where do you get your money from? And, who, likes, does your cooking and laundry?"

I, personally, was surprised at a sudden thought I had: what if someone cursed her back in America, forcing her to move and start over? When I think of that possibility, I feel bad for not trusting her, yet maybe she just wanted me to think that… oh, I'm just over thinking.

Sayomi then decided to start her story "Well first of, I'm from America, although you could probably figure that out yourself. I 'm exchanging here from an arts school, where I sing, draw, and play several instruments. I was supposed to go to Lobelia's-"

The evil doppelgangers interrupted her. I never liked those two anyway; they shined flashlights at me and stole Beelzenef all the time. The bastards. "You were going-" "-to Lobelia's?" the twins said with angry expressions. "_You're lucky you didn't have to meet the Zuka club. They're HORRIBLE!"_

_Well, the feelings probably mutual._ I thought, chuckling._** I believe they're those idiots who came in episode 9.**_ Beelzenef interjected.

Noticing my chuckle, my sensei sharply looked up. "Do you have something to say, Nekozawa? Please, share with the class if you do." _Crap, I forgot I was in class!_

I looked up, smiling creepily, knowing that my teacher was extremely weary of the supernatural. "Nothing of importance, Sensei. Just thinking about a particularly malicious curse I was going to perform later today…"

She (the teacher) looked scared out of her wits. "Um, interesting, Nekozawa. Now, back to lessons…" I tuned her out, seeing as I already knew the curriculum for that class. Before I knew it, I was listening to Sayomi again. Apparently, she hadn't gotten any further because the twins were busy ranting about an evil demon named Benio.

"- as I was saying, I was supposed to go to Lobelias girl academy. Everything was worked out, down to the last detail. Suddenly, I got a letter saying 'sorry, but our star student, and leader of the Zuka club has requested for a particular commoner to join their ranks, therefore pushing you aside. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.'"

Sayomi rolled her eyes, annoyed. "So there I was, all ready to move yet had no school to go to. Since I had a host family to stay with for Lobelias, but not anywhere else, the Japanese government is now paying for my domestic needs, such as food and housing. Still, I had no school. Finally, Ouran offered and now, as you can see, I go here. I still had to take a scholarship test, but I passed with flying colors. Oh- and Fujioka-kun, don't worry. Our scholarships are separate from each other, so we don't need to compete."

They talked for the rest of the hour, but nothing of any significance happened. Finally, the bell rang, causing everyone to get up and leave, although where to depended on weather or not they were in a club.

I had only one thought as I walked through the basement where I met Sayomi mere hours previous: _this is going to be intresting!_

**I would like to thank all my **_**fabulous**_** readers, especially those who reviewed or put up for story alert. Please, R&R!**


	4. Chapter 3

**! I must've been in a dark state while writing this…WARNING: CONTAINS SOME ANGST AND LOTSA SWEARING! (At least for me, its alotta swearing. Guess I'm rather innocent, tho.) Plus an attempted assault, but… well, that's not very happy either.**

**Um, I'm not sure what I'm trying to get from this chapter, but here it is. (Whatever 'it' turns out to be.) On a side note, most chapters won't be this depressing, and honestly it's just a filler. There's not much- wait, scratch that, there's not ANY Neko in here, so sorry bout' that. Well anyway, enjoy!**

_Thoughts_

"_Twins in unison"_

_**Beelzenef speaking**_

*Sayomi's POV*

As soon a school ended, I started walking to rehearsal room 1, where the drama club was supposed to meet. Now, it may not be as reputable as the 'Zuka Club', but the Ouran Drama Department is fairly reputable. And I had to participate in a club, any club, to keep my scholarship, along with passing grades and regular attendance.

It was sort of hard to find, but thankfully, I still had my map from this morning. Reaching the room, I cautiously opened the door. Walking in, I looked around the huge empty, tan gymnasium.

It was large, nearly half the size of a football field, and tan in color. There were three prop rooms, one on each wall, except the wall with the main door on it, and one separate dance room that had mirrors lining the walls, which I explored.

Going back to the main room, I noticed that the previously empty area was occupied with another student. She was tiny, with long black hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Turning around, she smiled. "Hello, I'm Makoto! Are you interested in joining the Drama Club?" she seemed nice, and smiled ALOT.

I nodded back, smiling. "Oh, I'm Sayomi. It's a pleasure." Makoto opened her mouth to speak, but before she had a chance to I was being dragged away by two pairs of arms. "You're coming"- "with us!" _the Hitachiins!_ I squirmed, trying to get away from the doppelgangers.

"LET GO! Hey, where are you taking me? Unhand me, I say!" they were _really_ ticking me off. The twins practically carried for ten minutes toward their 'destination', as they put it.

One moment I was being dragged to an unknown location, and the next I was being forcibly pushed on a couch. "Oofda! Hey, what are you doing? Where am I?"

All I knew was that I was in a brightly lit room with seven of the best-looking guys I've ever seen. Trust me, it's unnerving, especially singe I only recognized the twins and Fujioka-kun. All of a sudden, the indigo eyed blonde came right up in my face. _ What is it with weird rich kids getting in my face? First the black magic guy, now him? Who's next?_

"Welcome, princess Sayomi, to our world of beauty! Seeing as you're new we, the host club, thought to invite you to indulge in our perfection!"- _What the hell? _"So what's your type? Here we have Mori, the strong and silent type. Next, there's Honey, for all shota fans out there!" _is he really a high school student he looks 10! "_Kyoya is the cool type and little Haruhi here is the natural. Or…" he leaned in REALLY close, seriously freaking me out. "Would you prefer me? How bout' it, princess?"

_Is he… flirting with me?_ I backed away quickly, desperately trying to get away from the blonde idiot. (Is it just me, or is everyone at Ouran crazy?) "You've come to a huge misunderstanding. I honestly want nothing to do with this… host club." I glared, pissed with them all. They kidnapped me for this?

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a club to get to!" I started walking away; annoyed they took me from the drama club, when Kyoya decided to speak up.

The four-eyed idiot pushed up his glasses, smirking. "And what club is that, I wonder. The Black Magic club? It would seem a kind of thing you'd be interested in, according to my… sources." I froze, shocked that the jerk would dare go there.

Before anyone, including myself, realized what was happening, I was hoisting him up be the collar of his shirt and giving a glare cold enough to make hell freeze over.

"Don't speak as if you know _anything_ about me! You have no idea the shit I've dealt with! You have NO right to judge me, Mr. Ootori." I growled, walking away with a confidence I didn't truly possess, and left behind a stunned host club.

I stalked away, venting as I went. "That jerk! As if I don't know what others have said!" I quieted down slightly, my calmer self slowly coming back.

As I started crying, a sharp pain came in my chest, right over my heart. The pain of betrayal. "Why? I left to avoid all that…! What does he have against me?" All my previous anger turned into sadness, and I realized what an ass I'd been to Kyoya earlier. Rage tended to change me. Well, I am blood type AB.

Suddenly, the pain in my heart flared, and I had to lean on the wall for support. I whispered, all my pain evident in my voice. "I am not a freak." But truly, I am. My soft cries quickly became violent sobs, shaking my entire being: making me realize how truly weak I am.

I am a victim, a broken girl, and nothing will ever change that. Not even the brave faced mask I rely on every day, just to get by. Nor would I want it to change, lest I und up hurt again. In my opinion, I am only truly safe when I am alone. I can't change my past, only learn from it.

Wiping my tears, I ignored the pain like I normally do. I had a club to get to, and hopefully it could distract me from my hellish life, at least a bit.

Getting up from where I had my 'episode', or so I call it, I forced myself to smile. If I can't truly be happy, I might as well fake it; and I wouldn't want anyone comforting me. It would only be from pity, anyway.

Taking out my map, I navigated to the rehearsal room where drama met. By the time I got there, it looked as if nothing happened to me, and I was back to my normal façade.

Taking a breath, I entered the main room where I went up to Makoto.

The short girl smiled up at me and led me to two other people who also seemed to be in charge. There were other people lounging around, about 30 or so, but no one noticed me.

The other 'leaders', both male, walked up and smiled at me. Makoto promptly started introductions.

"So Sayomi, as you know, I'm Makoto Aizawa, class 1B president of the Drama Club! This is our manager, and my brother, Masashi Aizawa., class 3B!" She pointed to a tall brunette with glasses who honestly creeped me out, more so than the cloaked dude.

"This is Hiroki Imai, class 2A, and vice president of the club! Everyone else around the room is a member as well, so don't forget to meet them as well!" She smiled widely and gestured to a short, scrawny redheaded guy with a cute face but really bad case of acne. I honestly thought rich kids couldn't get pimples, but alas I stand corrected.

As Makoto and Hiroki left to talk to some other newbies, I was left with Masashi. For some reason, he gave me a really bad feeling. And unbeknownst to me, I was about to be proven correct.

He smiled, but something about it hinted at sadism. Suddenly, he grabbed me by the arm and pushed me into the abandoned dance room, and locked the two of us inside. Today just wasn't my best day, now was it? Well, at least it wasn't my worst, not by far.

Masashi grinned at me and I shivered in fear. "So new girlie, you're pretty cute. You're a scholarship student, huh? Too bad for you bitch, you're just a commoner! How bout' you be my slave and call me master, and I'll associate with you're sorry ass?" He smiled again, and I practically paralyzed in fear. At the same time, my mind was hyperactive. _I'm certain I saw an exit while exploring earlier! Where? I can't have gotten so far only to join them now. I don't want to die… or live solely for him, either! _

I backed away, for the third time today, and saw him advance closer. "Don't even think of telling of our little arrangement, besides, who would they believe? The new foreigner or the respected manager of the drama club and heir to the Aizawa fortunes? Whaddaya say, girlie?" As he spoke, the asshole had the audacity to grab my butt… and I was officially scared.

Whimpering, I looked at the exit, then at the only obstacle: Masashi. I couldn't get past him, and yet I HAD to. There was no other option. Feeling a surge of adrenaline, I kicked his balls and darted to the exit as fast as humanly possible. As I went through the door, I heard his threat, and even as I closed the door it rang through my head. "Who will you hurt trying to save yourself? You're just a SELFISH BITCH!" the sad thing is, he was right.

Giving myself a humorless chuckle I shook my head, not even noticing the tears trickling down my face. I sighed, not sure what to do, and still shook up with my previous experience. Once again, today certainly wasn't my best day. A lot has happened, that's definitely true.

"I guess drama club is out then. What should I join then?" my best talents lie in the arts, and truly, I fail at sports. Being so caught up in the issue of possible club ideas, I forgot the immediate problem at hand: I was lost. Again.

"SHIT!"

**WHAT WAS THAT? This chapter is so vastly… different than my others; I honestly don't know what to make of it. In fact, I'm not completely sure where this story is going anymore. Stories do tend to write themselves. Well, you all still have a lot to learn about our heroine. A LOT to learn. I would love to take any criticism you may have, and if you have a direction you really want this story to go in, please tell me so. I would be more than happy to try and incorporate it! I also would really appreciate reviews, I'm not even sure if anyone reads this. R&R**

**~A.R**


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry I couldn't update last weekend, my sister hogged our only computer the whole time. (I kno it's a lame excuse, but it's a true one.) It's still Sayomi's first day of school… wow, I sure am dragging it out…well, where this story is concerned, I decided not to worry about the plot, or how dark it may or may not become. I'll also have some others from the BMC in here, so I hope it's not too confusing. Sometimes it's best to just let it write itself, such as in this case… I made about 3 drafts, and then just went with the first one anyway. -_-**

**Disclaimer: Ouran in not mine… if only…**

_Thoughts_

"_Twins in unison"_

_**Beelzenef talking**_

*Nekozawa's POV*

Walking through the halls of Ouran after class ended, I found myself arguing with my beloved cat puppet, Beelzenef.

_**You know, her past isn't really our business. You should give her some space.**_I shook my head, annoyed with his naivety. Normally it was him telling me not to trust someone… did Sayomi curse him or something?

It's fairly obvious there's something… off… about her. Why couldn't he see that? "Trust me! I know what I'm doing!" Fuming, I tried my best to shut him out, for what little good trying did.

_**What has she done to you? You could be hurting an innocent young girl for all you know.**_ This conversation was _really_ starting to piss me off now. "What's it to you? Why should you care, huh?"

Beelzenef was silent, and I started to feel bad… about Beelzenef, not Sayomi of course. _**Is it a bad thing to be cautious? I just don't want you to feel bad if you're wrong… I'm sorry, master…**_

His apologizing just made me feel worse… maybe I am being narrow-minded. "I'm sorry Beelzenef. When I look Sayomi up, I'll skip personal stuff, okay?" perhaps he was right.

_**Its okay, you know I hate fighting with you. Forgiven**_?

I smiled at him, my closest friend and confidant. Him and my club, they're all I've got. Too bad he's a puppet though, there's not really much he can do like that… "Yeah."

As I reached the staircase or the basement, I noticed light footsteps coming up from down the hall. Hiding in the shadows, I noticed it was Sayomi. Well, speak of the devil.

Her face was displaying an array of emotions, but one was more prominent than the others. Pain.

She seemed to be ranting on about some 'F***ing jerk', and all I could do was watch in stunned silence. Who could have riled her up so? What did they do? Most importantly, what could have broken her in two like that?

Crying, she started clutching her chest in pain. She started speaking again, but her words were so intermingled with her sobs, I couldn't distinguish what she said.

As she leaned against the wall in pain, I suddenly felt an uncanny need to comfort the girl. _I should leave…_

Turning around, I crept away a few feet, until a lone tear ran down her face and compelled to stay. In that moment, I truly wanted nothing more than to wipe that tear away, and her fears along with it.

Closing her glassy eyes, Sayomi whispered something I could barely catch. But I couldn't have gotten it right though, could I? Why would she be a freak?

Knowing I should probably leave, I shakily backed up. I walked away with my back to her, heading to the staircase.

Glancing at her over my shoulder I felt my heart wrench, if only a little bit, for she was curled in a ball crying her heart out. Still, I knew there was nothing I could do.

Descending the staircase, I started clearing my head. It makes sense that I would want to help her, right? I mean, she was crying a lot, so it shouldn't be odd. Yeah, that's it, she was a crying girl, and of course anyone would want to help her…

_**I hope she's okay. **_Beelzenef looked back worriedly. Looking down at him, I found myself smiling. "I do too, Beelzenef, I do too." The strange thing was, I meant it.

Before I knew it, we'd arrived at the clubroom. I walked in, only to see I was the first person there. The room was dark, filled with magic artifacts and black Victorian furniture. The only illumination came from the sparsely placed candelabras stationed throughout the room. It felt like home.

Picking up a random spell book, I walked over to a couch obscurely placed in the back corner and sat down, waiting for the other club members. Before I could start reading though, Beelzenef interrupted me.

_**Are you certain you want to do this? You saw her earlier…**_ I frowned, thinking. "I'm not completely sure anymore." As I sighed, the doors burst open.

"Sorry we're late! I was talking to some friends!" Hideki Kiyomizu, the black magic club's resident redhead idiot, ran in dragging the other members (yes, all three of them) in behind him. '

"So what're we doing today, President Nekozawa? I wanna curse people!" He giggled, acting like a little kid. Not that he looked like one, being fairly tall like he is. Still I sighed, dreading the trouble he was certain to bring.

Still, he was important to me, like everyone else in my club. We're all like brothers, except in Kanazuki-kun's case, of course, but that's only because she's a girl.

Everyone looked at me in response to Hideki's question, curious what we'd be doing. I smiled. "Just find a book of your choice, and try researching what curses we should of should not use." They nodded, and all got to work. Before he could walk away, I went up to the more refined member of my club.

"Fumio-kun, if you don't mind, could you help me with something?" he curiously tilted his head to the side, causing his ash-brown bangs to cover his eyes, and nodded. "Of course."

I led him over to a table and sat down across from him, grinning. "So Fumio-Kun, I was wondering if you could look up someone's aura for me." (Trust me; it's really convenient to know someone who sees auras.) He nodded, and my smile grew even wider.

Looking up at me with dark purple eyes, Fumio blinked. "You haven't told me their name yet." I frowned. "Sorry, it's Maria Sayomi Johnson."

There happens to be one catch to Fumio Ishikawa's powers. You see, he can see auras as well as what curses and spells have been cast by or upon any given person. The trouble is, he has to have their name or physical contact to be able to do so.

For me, though, it's all hidden by a black mist, so he can't sense anything about me unless I want him to. Being powerful has its perks, you know.

As Fumio closed his eyes and searched for Sayomi's aura, I started to wonder. Was she someone who cursed others frequently, or someone who is the victim of other's curses? Or maybe she had nothing to do with the supernatural at all?

Gasping, Fumio opened his eyes wearing an astonished expression. "Nekozawa, you know how your aura is shrouded with a black mist, and I can't see past it, right?" I nodded, not seeing how this was relevant.

"Well you see, Johnson's is like that as well. She has a silver mist I can't break through. The only way I can think of for learning about her is to ask her yourself." I froze, shocked. Just how powerful is she?

_I'll just get her to join my club! Wait, I was only researching her because she _wouldn't _join… oh, whatever! I'll figure something out._ As they say, keep friends close, but enemies' closer. The problem is, I'm not certain which one she qualifies as and she's avoiding me either way.

Walking to the door, I was stopped by Akira Fujimoto, the rebel of the group. "Prez, you okay? You seemed worried. If someone's bullying you again," Akira cracked his neck menacingly, onyx eyes flashing," I'll show them who they're messing with, kay?"

I smiled, grateful for his loyalty. A few years back, some upperclassmen messed with my dark artifacts, and I couldn't curse them. Eventually, Akira found out and gave them a piece of his mind. Needless to say, I haven't been messed with since.

Smiling at him I left the clubroom in search of Sayomi. I mean, I might as well keep trying to get her to join, persistence can pay off.

Using the same scrying spell as earlier, I looked to see where the particular redhead was. I noticed she was wandering aimlessly, once again. She must not have a very good sense of direction.

Beelzenef nudged me, successfully getting my attention. _**She's in corridor 4 of the west building. You're walking in the opposite direction from there**_. I nodded, turning around.

As I made my way through the building, decided to chat with my cat puppet.

"So, what do you think of Sayomi so far? Still think she's innocent?" when I asked, I could almost feel Beelzenef raise an imaginary eyebrow. _**Why of course. Why wouldn't I?**_ I snorted in response.

"Because she's obviously suspicious, of course." I realized that even as I said this, there wasn't very much force in my voice. Was I starting to doubt myself?

I was so deep in my personal musings; I didn't notice Sayomi until she was 20ft in front of me. From her demeanor, it seemed as if she didn't care that she didn't know where she was.

Her face, though, told a different story. She looked lonely, distant, unfeeling. She looked…lost.

Not lost as in she didn't know where she was, though. No, it was as if she didn't know _who_ she was. And no one could help her.

Creeping up behind the girl, I blew on the back of her neck, successfully freaking her out. What? I love to make an entrance.

Spinning around quickly, she tripped and I had to catch her. Again. Is it just me, or does history like to repeat itself?

"Ufufufu! What could a young girl like yourself be doing wandering the halls? Are you _lost_?" because if it is, I'd love to go along.

Sayomi, however, did not want to play that card. "Nekozawa-Senpai? As a matter of fact, I _am_ lost." I helped her up, chuckling. "Of course you are. If you don't mind me asking… do you want to join my club?"

Upon asking her, a bizarre array of emotions briefly graced her face. Worry. Desperation. Fear. Defiance. She looked up at me, smirking.

"Well well Nekozawa, someone must need members." I twitched, annoyed. Was she _mocking_ me? She then raised an eyebrow and said the last thing I expected.

"When does it start?"

**And so Sayomi's first day ends. Just as a warning with this only being my 2****nd**** fanfic, and first serious one, I'm not sure how it'll turn out. I'll try to update regularly, but that's gonna' be hard. (My big sis steals our only computer.) Still, I'm trying! XD**

**R&R!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I finally got the computer! Yay! So this is the second day of school for Sayomi, and you get to finally learn a bit of her past! It's just some pieces of the puzzle, not the whole, of course.**

**Disclaimer: Ouran, why must you evade me so? *dramatically collapses, clutching her heart.***

_Thoughts_

"_Twins in unison"_

_**Beelzenef**_

*Sayomi's POV*

Black. It was everywhere, and I couldn't escape it. The question is, did I really want to? The dark nothingness was relaxing, comforting, and soothing.

There was nothing I had to do, nowhere I had to go, no rules I had to follow. Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me, a very familiar voice. The voice of my mother. "It's not your time, Maria dear. Go on without us, father and I will be fine. We love you."

I cried, my heart torn right through the middle. I wasn't sure what would happen if I succumbed to the darkness, but the far-off light looked desolate. Could I leave my parents behind? I didn't know…

The scene changed, and suddenly I was standing in front of my new house with my adoptive parents.

"Maria, this is where you'll be living now! Try not to break anything, and be careful!" My new mother walked me up to the 2-story building, smiling fakely.

No matter how hard they tried to hide it, I could tell they never really wanted me. When they adopted a 11 year old girl, they probably expecting a sweet, perfect child, not… me.

I smiled fakely back, hiding my sadness. "Of course, Sarah!" she frowned down at me disapprovingly. That's all she really felt for me, disapproval. "Oh, Maria! I thought I told you to call me mom!"

_As if she really would want that. _They never loved me, and I never loved them. It was simply a fact of life.

My adoptive parents faded away, and I was sitting on a swing in a deserted playground one cold November day. As I swung higher and higher, my eyes gently closed.

I was 13, and today it was exactly 2 years since the car accident that killed my parents and nearly took my life as well.

My breath fogged up in front of me, and I felt a single tear slide down my cheek. "Hey girl, why're you crying?"

Opening my yes, I looked for the boy who spoke. "Where are you? Hello?" he laughed and I turned my head to the side, where the voice had come from. Still, I saw no one.

"I'm right in front of you!" looking back, I saw him. He was a good-looking teenager of about 17, with red-tipped brown hair and grey-green eyes.

He seemed to be wearing dark wash jeans and a crimson t-shirt, which was covered by a black jacket. I jumped off the swing, walking over to the older boy. He smiled secretively.

"I'm Quinn. It's a pleasure to finally talk to you, Maria." I froze in shock. How did he know my name? Have we ever met? "Y-yes, um, you too… I guess. H-how do you know my name, exactly?"

Quinn smirked, obviously pleased with my reaction. "I know more than you'd think." His smirk grew. "Do you miss your parents?"

I started backing up, trying to figure out just what this guy wanted with me, when I ran into a young woman. "Miss, please help! This boy…"

I pointed at Quinn, looking at her with wide eyes. She just looked at me skeptically with raised eyebrows, frowning.

"What boy? We're the only ones here. You should get home soon, too. Your parents might worry." She walked away, and I gulped, looking at the boy apparently only I could see.

Quinn just smirked, not worried that the woman could not see him. "So Maria, how have you been since the accident, anyway? And you all healed up? We wouldn't want you to get hurt like last time, now would we?"

I started shaking, frightened for my life. "W-what do you want with me?" Quinn blinked, surprised. "You haven't figured it out yet? You need to die like you were supposed to all those years ago. From where you were sitting, you would've been in direct line of the collision. How did you survive?"

_how _did_ I survive? _"Why? Why would you want to kill me?" my voice shook, showing my fear. Regardless, his next answer confused me further. "Because I love you."

As Quinn muttered those words his hands wrapped around my neck, successfully choking me.

I woke up screaming, my hair sticking to my sweaty face. "A dream, it's only a dream!" I panted, all the adrenaline from my nightmare fading.

I'd been having the nightmares more and more frequently, but it wasn't the actual dreams that frightened me. It was the fact that they were actually memories that was the problem, and sadly, my life hasn't been getting much better of late.

I'd only had one day of school, and already I had an enemy and was in a club that more or less spelled out my doom. Truthfully I had no idea why I joined in the first place.

I know I needed to participate in a club to fulfill my scholarship, but I could've just joined an art club of something of the like. Too late now, I'm a Black Magic Club member now.

Climbing out of bed, I look around my new room. The government provided me with a 2 bed one bath apartment about 10 minutes from Ouran.

My bedroom was plain, with the bare minimum of furniture necessary. The floor was tatami like the rest of the house. The rest of the house was just as simple, and was all neat and organized. Still, it was the closest thing I had to a home since my parents' death.

Getting dressed, I picked out a black muscle shirt with a green unbuttoned dress shirt, black shorts with matching black nail polish, fingerless gloves, and over the knee socks.

As I pulled my unruly curls in a loose bun, I took a piece of toast and ate while lacing up my black knee-high combat boots. Taking my black bag, I ran outside, trying not to be late.

As I stepped out the door, I accidentally hit someone and knocked them over. "Off! Gomen, sir!" as I helped the boy up, I realized it was Haruhi from my class. "Haruhi! You live here?"

I grinned, happy I knew someone at this apartment complex. Haruhi, on the other hand, stared at me confusedly. A second later though, recognition hit him.

"Sayomi? Um, yeah, I do. Right next door, apparently." He smiled back, and we started walking to school. As we went, I couldn't help but think of what a nice guy he was… maybe we could actually be friends.

Before I knew it, it was already lunch. Strange to think that such a busy first day could give way to an uneventful second.

When I got to the lunchroom, I realized how… alone I was. Sure, I got along with everyone at the get-go, but it was still distant. It's like I'm a celebrity, to be respected and admired but not talked with. I felt like some rare animal in an exhibit.

The closest person to equal ground I had was Haruhi, with us both being commoners, but he's a host. I looked around and noticed I had no one to sit with.

Still, one needs food to survive. Getting in line, I ordered the most basic thing I could find. Food was a part of my scholarship, but its better not to push my luck by getting anything fancy.

Once I got my tray, I walked outside to the garden where I ate yesterday. The sun was shining, the flowers in bloom, and I was for once peaceful as I put my iPod on shuffle. Music Box by Hatsune Miku came on and I sighed tiredly.

As a breeze caressed my face, I suddenly remembered the beginning of my dream. My parents… did they miss me? How was heaven?

Tears started to well in my eyes, and I desperately attempted to hold them back, failing. I've shed enough tears for a lifetime in the past few years alone, but apparently it still hasn't been enough.

When the last of my tears had fallen, I heard someone walking towards me. Looking around, I noticed it was Nekozawa. He walked up to me and looked me in the eye with a sad expression.

"How come wherever I'm near you, you're always crying?" I stiffened, surprised. Did I really cry that much? I guess I really am weak.

Trying to seem confident, I looked him right back in the eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I just don't like you." Much to my surprise, he smirked. "If that was so, why would you join my club?"

I scowled, and his smirk grew bigger. "What if I didn't have much of a choice?" Nekozawa's smirk faded to a frown as he tried to gauge my expression. "Why wouldn't you have a choice?"

I looked away, trying not to give anything away about yesterday. I may be an idiot for thinking this way, but I would rather not have others know about Masashi.

I don't trust others with my problems, I only rely on myself. Not that it's important.

I looked up again, remembering that I had not yet answered the question. "It's not your problem." Still frowning, Nekozawa handed me a piece of paper.

"The club starts after school. This map will show you how to get there, and please try not to get lost again." I rolled my eyes as he walked away, picking up the paper he gave me.

It was a simple map with an x where it was supposed to meet, and on the back were handwritten directions on how to get there from 1-A.

Sighing, I picked up my empty plates and started walking inside. "I guess there's no way out now… Just what have I gotten myself into?" I never even noticed the pair of azure eyes following me.

**Aah, another chapter finished! Just so you know… I'm the slowest typer you've ever met. I had this chapter written by the time the previous one had been posted. **

**-_- Still, I feel blessed, because I have so many awesometastic people reading this! I write this for you!**

**R&R!**


	7. AN

I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but there's been some technical difficulties.

My family got a new computer to replace the old crap one we used to have, but since we were switching from windows to mac, it was kind of hard.

All my old files got deleted, so I had to start over on both of my stories, and still even now we're not exactly sure how to make the computer work properly yet… Gomen!

So it might be a while before I can really update… and I'm sorry I couldn't update earlier!

Please be patient, and I really am sorry for the inconvenience!

~A.R


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